The True History of the Cullen Family
by Claire Violet Thorpe
Summary: Carlisle Cullen was murdered by a childhood friend on the night that he would have been bitten and turned. The Cullen family comes together under different circumstances, no thanks to Jasper Whitlock and Jacquelyn-Claire Ulrich
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own nothing but this story.

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><p><em>LONDON 1666<em>

Vampires were attacking the city of London, England.

Many a poor person, in want of some relief from the hardships of life, would often make their way to The Pedlar's Flask, where only the best drinks were served. There, they would discuss the effects that the plague had on people who had died of that unfortunate disease, or the fires that nearly destroyed the city. Also, they would discuss people who had fallen victim to vampire attacks; more often than not, those people were victims of the plague who were tossed to the vampires, who would gladly devour them and rid the city of another plague victim.

But the minister of the church, a man named Roger Cullen, had condemned drinking and anyone who dared to walk in the streets drunk would be harshly reprimanded by him.

This man did not seem to stop at drunks; in fact, he accused various other people of witchcraft, consorting with the devil, and various other crimes. He did not care if they were innocent or not. Often, the unlucky victim was hanged, beheaded, or burned at the stake. The minister smiled grimly as he watched those poor people hurl curses and threats of judgments at him.

But he had one son, a son whom the people loved not just because he was the minister's son, but he was the exact opposite of everything his father was. Carlisle Cullen was seen as a kind young man who would help the people out, and he never raised his voice to say a cruel thing to anyone.

Roger Cullen was not pleased with how Carlisle was treating the people; he had repeatedly told the young man that it was his duty to make sure that the people were safe from any demons that dared to disguise themselves as humans and walk among them.

Now, Roger had set Carlisle up with a nice young girl named Elizabeth Hamilton, something that didn't sit too well with a young witch named Camille Von Meliskold. Camille's family was very rich and she and Carlisle had been the best of friends. The Cullen family was also rich, due to several inheritances that Roger had gained in his youth. But Roger wanted Carlisle to marry Elizabeth, for she was an orphan and was reaching the age of 18, when she could no longer be supported by the orphanage that she had lived in since she was a child.

Well, no one knew that there would be no marriage or any further life plans of Carlisle Cullen.

That was because some members of the Trublood clan had dared to attack the town and kill several people.

The people weren't all too concerned; the Trublood clan was known to prey upon the invalids that lurked in their town. Roger Cullen was known to have had executed many of those disabled people, and most people would welcome death from a vampire attack than to be tortured by the cruel minister.

Carlisle was drafted to go on the mission to capture and destroy the renegade members of the Trublood clan. Camille found out about this task and she refused to let him go. She was angry with how Carlisle's father had treated him and tried to tell him that all people were evil. If only the young man's mother had lived, then none of this would be happening, she reasoned to herself.

She quickly prepared a poison, smiling as she thought of the results: with Carlisle dead, he would never have to marry that pathetic girl or deal with his despicable father. She would even frame Elizabeth for the deed. The girl would end up in prison for the crime and later be handed to the Trublood clan for consumption.

But then she thought of Roger; Carlisle was his only child. He had no other children, not since his wife Mary had died in childbirth 23 years earlier. Is it really worth it to kill his son like that, she reasoned to herself? Yes, she thought. That man has never shown any love of compassion for his only begotten son, and if his son were removed from the picture, perhaps the old man would give up on his cruel activities.

She had just prepared drinks when Carlisle and Roger came in after discussing plans. Plans for a wedding that would soon be canceled.

"Camille," said Carlisle, "have you come to join us?"

"Indeed," said Camille as she handed them the drinks. "I know it is dangerous for you to go out at night and do this mission, but I want you to know that I care very much about you."

"I'm very glad to hear that," said Carlisle.

"Indeed I am as well," said Roger. "However, we must remind Dagbert Trublood that he should exercise discretion when he sends his clan out to...feed. Mayhaps the ashes of those three vampires will remind him that while we allow him to live in this town, he must abide by our rules."

Carlisle said, "I'm sure he will learn that."

He sighed and said, "Well, I'm off." Roger and Camille nodded. "But first, a toast to our town."

They all raised their glasses and drank, not knowing that something tragic was going to happen. "If I don't return by morning," Carlisle said, "don't worry, for the people will be kind enough to give me shelter unit I can safely return here."

His last words to Camille were: "I have always loved you, and I know it is hard for you to deal with the fact that Elizabeth and I will soon be married..."

But before he could finish the rest of his epiphany, Carlisle Cullen suddenly fell to the floor and died.

Camille screamed in horror; of course she knew the poison would kill him, but she had to make it sound convincing. If she didn't, the old man would suspect that something was up. Roger gasped and said, "Now who would be this low as to poison my only begotten child?"

"It was that Elizabeth Hamilton, no doubt," Camille said. "That little bitch was jealous of what he had and what she did not have; she poisoned him for that!"

Roger looked at her, not knowing if he should believe what she was saying. "Are you sure that she had done this? Is there no other woman that we know of who could have done this?"

"I'm very damn well sure!" Camille snapped as she went out the door yelling, "CARLISLE CULLEN HAS BEEN MURDERED!"

Everyone in London was shocked; the son of the cruel minister was murdered just two weeks before his wedding day. And even more shocking was the fact that Elizabeth Hamilton, his bride-to-be, was accused of poisoning him. As for Elizabeth herself, she wept profusely and refused to leave her room.

Camille smiled, knowing that without Carlisle's wealth, Elizabeth would be doomed to a life of abject poverty, becoming a meal for vampires and werewolves or dying of some disease. But she was not done yet.

Roger was heartbroken, as if the fire of his life has gone out of him. He mourned his son's death and held an elaborate funeral for him; the people of London wept for a young man who had dreamed of being a doctor and helping people. Dagbert Trublood found out about Carlisle's death and he and several other clan members began to seek out who had murdered Carlisle Cullen.

After Carlisle's funeral, Elizabeth Hamilton was arrested and tried, with Camille saying at various times that she had wanted to be Carlisle's wife, but he was already engaged to Camille. Elizabeth, being jealous of Camille because of her wealth and beauty, had plotted to kill Carlisle and deprive Camille of her groom.

Most of the people believed Camille and the judge sentenced Elizabeth to death by hanging. But at the last minute, a random citizen claimed that he had seen Camille stealing various objects from the alchemist's shop four days before the murder of Carlisle Cullen.

With her cover blown, Camille escaped to Germany and sought out her grandmother, Frau Margarethe Schumacher. She remained in Berlin for the rest of her life. Elizabeth was exonerated and she soon married Dagbert's son, Darius Trublood.

Roger Cullen, now bereft of a son, died one month after his son's murder; many people claimed that he was too heartbroken over his only child's death to even go on with his life. They buried him next to Carlisle's grave.

And as for the renegade vampires, they were never seen again.

But no one knew that Camille's wicked deed changed the world forever...

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><p>And when Carlisle died, the following events didn't happen...<p>

1. Because Carlisle died, he never had a chance to save Edward Masen from certain death in 1918. Instead, the servants who worked for the Masen family all wept for the brave young man who dreamed of becoming a concert pianist, but would never have a chance to make his dreams come true.

2. Because Carlisle died, he never he never had a chance to meet Esme Platt Evensen, nor did he save her after she jumped off a cliff and died in 1921. Instead, Esme was brutally murdered by her husband, Charles, in 1920. Charles was arrested for his wife's murder and executed in 1922.

3. Because Carlisle died, he never had a chance to rescue Rosalie Hale when she was raped and murdered in 1933. Everyone in Rochester, New York was horrified when they discovered that the beautiful bride-to-be was dead. But an African-American named Benjamin Jones had witnessed Royce King II and his friends raping Rosalie and informed the police, which led to the men being arrested and sent to Sing Sing Prison for the rest of their lives.

4. Because Carlisle died, he never had a chance to save Emmett McCarty when he was attacked by a bear in 1935. In fact, Emmett's oldest brother had banished him from the family home in anger, and the younger McCarty boy went for a walk in the woods. A young woman saw the attack and killed the bear. But Emmett would never walk in the woods again, for he was dead.

5. Because Carlisle died, he never had a chance to meet Alice Brandon and Jasper Whitlock when they showed up at the Cullen house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the 1940's. In 1918, Mary Alice Brandon was not committed to a mental hospital in her hometown of Biloxi, Mississippi. In fact, she was killed when her family hired an exorcist to get rid of her "visions". But as for Jasper, however, he had ran away from Maria's army during the mid-1860's and never looked back. His part in this story will be revealed later.

6. Because Carlisle died, he never had a chance to meet Bella Swan when she moved to Forks, Washington. Bella never had a chance to meet Edward Cullen because he never existed. She ended up marrying Mike Newton after graduating from high school.

7. Because Carlisle died, he never had a chance to meet Jacquelyn Claire Ulrich, nor did he get to meet her mother, Irene. Both mother and daughter had moved to Italy when Jacquelyn was 2 years old following a threat from Irene's former fiancé, Warren Limpett. Irene soon fell into the wrong crowd and ended up dying in the lobby of a ritzy hotel when she was 27 years old. Her 7-year-old daughter, Jacquelyn, was made a ward of a rich family, a family she ran away from when she was 15 years old.

Jasper Whitlock and Jacquelyn Claire Ulrich were two people living in a messed-up world. But when they met one fun night, things were going to change forever...

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	2. Sweet Dreams Are Made of These

Jacquelyn Claire Alexandra Ulrich hated her new life.

Since her mother's death, the other kids did not like her, nor did they treat her well. She was much shorter than her classmates and spoke Italian with an odd accent. She also dressed in black and tore up every doll she was given, preferring to restyle them in a way she saw fit.

Jacquelyn became interested in the Goth subculture when she was just 10 years old. She dyed her dark hair a bright yellow color with blue, purple, and silver streaks in various places, painted her fingernails and toenails black, switched her pretty dresses with dark clothing, and even got the tops of her ears pierced.

Her foster family did not understand her, and all the other kids thought her strange. They even claimed that Jacquelyn was possessed by a spirit that intended to steal her soul and claim it for herself. In fact, she was forced into therapy several times from the time she was 11 until she was 14 years old.

But therapy did her no good, as the therapist claimed that she might have been abused as a young child. In truth, Jacquelyn was suffering the ill effects of her mother's demise.

Irina Ulrich had been living with her daughter in a hotel that resembled the Garden of Eden. And as we all know, paradise on earth can be wonderful, but we must also beware of the snakes that lurk in the shadows. Irina had been bitten in the heel by a king cobra and died soon after. Jacquelyn was 7 years old when that happened.

Since Irina's death, the Italian government ordered the hotel to be shut down and had the owners arrested for murder for their role in Irina's death. Jacquelyn was placed in a foster home shortly after her mother's funeral.

But now Jacquelyn was 15 years old and had just begun her latest obsession with vampires. Vampires were real, she reasoned, and they're not monsters. Bram Stoker got that one wrong.

She had read "Interview With a Vampire" by Anne Rice, and hungered for more. She wasn't too impressed with L. J. Smith's "The Vampire Diaries" and several other vampire series failed to give her the edge that she needed.

Jacquelyn stared at a picture of Christopher Lee as Count Dracula and concluded that it was time for her to sneak out of the house and find some answers to her questions.

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><p>Jasper Whitlock frowned as he tossed away the remnants of his meal, which was a frightened tourist from Belgium.<p>

He really needed to stop eating people, as his ability to read their moods was starting to affect his thinking. He was wondering why he was recruited by the Volturi instead of just staying with Peter and Charlotte in America.

America.

He had not seen his homeland in over 100 years, nor did he hear anything about Texas. Texas, the place where he was born and raised.

That was, until Maria and her sisters Lucy and Nettie had found him one night and captured him for the Southern Vampire Wars.

For the next 10 years, war was what Jasper had known. War and death. The deaths of many innocents weighed heavily upon him and when the Volturi showed up, offering him a position in their inner circle, Jasper had taken it without hesitation.

But now, 100 years after his turning, Jasper Whitlock hungered for excitement. He needed a little human to keep as a pet. But of all the young humans living in Volterra, none suited his interests.

Until he met her, that was.

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><p>Jacquelyn sighed as she packed as many of her possessions as she could fit into a bag. She was leaving home tonight. She slipped on a black shirt and skinny black jeans. After slipping on her black leather boots, she walked out the door, never to return.<p>

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><p>Jasper walked out the door with Felix, Alec, Jane, and Demetri. All five frequently scoured the underground clubs for any potential light snacks, in which they drank from the victim without killing or turning said victim.<p>

Thus began the meeting that would bring two unusual people together...

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	3. Someewhere Out There

Jacquelyn found herself running down the street. She was not about to become someone else's victim.

Not when she could escape just as easily as an intruder can enter a house.

After the death of her foster mother, Jacquelyn found herself staring at a grave. The woman's other children, all older than her, frowned as the priest had read the final rites. There was nothing else for them to look forward to, except life on the streets.

But the man who the woman had been dating at the time of her death would not allow the children to grow up so fast, not when he had the means to support them. But he took one good look at Jacquelyn Ulrich, and then it was like he held resentment towards the younger girl. She was an orphan who had no business tainting the family with her "impurities".

He decided that the girl had to be removed from the family.

But Jacquelyn was quicker than him; the minute he turned a hateful glare on her, she immediately realized that she needed to leave.

After walking away from the only other house that she had known, she turned back and smiled grimly as the cruel man went into a fit of rage upon discovering that she was not in her room.

Jacquelyn slipped on a pair of dark sunglasses and walked down to a bus station, where she boarded a bus that would take her far away from the village she grew up in. She refused to look back (because she had nothing to look back on) but she had to keep going forward.

After all, her future was set in stone, even if she did not know it yet.

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><p>Jasper returned to his quarters in the Volturi Castle, after having completed another night of "light snacking". Alec, Demetri, and Felix had enjoyed themselves even though Jane thought the snacking was unnecessary. To her, vampires were meant to feed from living things, not snack on them.<p>

Jasper looked around his room, wondering what he should do with himself. To the others, he was just a quiet brooding vampire who kept to himself, even though his talent of controlling moods would suggest otherwise. He recalled the number of times he had thrown a wave of calm over a potentially violent situation involving the Volturi, or calmed the hordes of tourists who came to the castle not knowing that they were going to be devoured.

"I need a pet," he complained to the others that night. "Someone who will obey me."

"Like a human pet?" Jane laughed.

"I need one so badly," said Jasper. "I need a pet to keep in my rooms. You may have your powers, but I need something to play with and none of the young ones in Volterra will do."

"I see," said Jane, "and I will ask Aro to find you a suitable pet. But keep in mind that said pet will have to be turned...eventually."

Jasper nodded. He knew that come hell or high water, he would get his human pet. But the pet he would get would be broken and needed to be fixed.

Not if she couldn't be fixed anyway.

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><p>Jacquelyn woke up to a strange sight; the hotel where her mother died.<p>

That place had been shut down 8 years earlier, and yet it seemed...dead.

She stood up and began to wander around the place, warily, knowing that the snake that had killed her mother was still on the loose.

Just then, a very tiny grey snake approached her. Jacquelyn wasn't scared of snakes; in fact, she recalled Gus, the friendly python who lived the gardens of her foster family's home.

"Who are you?" she cried out.

"I'm just a snake," said the snake. "My name is Minerva. Gus has told me about you."

"Really?" Jacquelyn said.

"I have heard the story of your mother's death," said Minerva, "for on the same day, my parents were killed by the cobra as well. He killed many animals and people alike and has grown rather unnaturally large at that. The only way he could be defeated is that the daughter of the woman he killed slays him in turn."

"Well, I have never fought a snake before," said Jacquelyn. "Why should I fight him?"

"He murdered your mother," said Minerva, "and he seeks your death as well. You will never be complete until you have avenged your mother and found true love."

Jacquelyn said, "But why the cobra?"

"Do you know the story of the Fall of Man?" Minerva asked. Jacquelyn nodded. "It was Lucifer who had done this. Lucifer was full of pride and he resented mankind. He tricked Eve into eating from the tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil. That act had brought about man's fall and demonized snakes for many years. But not all snakes are bad, just as not all humans are good."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Jacquelyn said. "I will make sure that snakes regain their place of honor, for God said that one day, snakes will be redeemed and no child will be hurt if it plays with a snake."

Minerva nodded and said, "I have waited for you, because I knew you would come."

Jacquelyn said, "I needed a friend who would truly understand me. I just had to get out and find that friend."

And together, the Goth and the snake walked towards the hotel, preparing to face their legacy...

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	4. Broken

In the gardens of the once-grand Amazon Rose Hotel, Elbert Braun sat there wondering how things went downhill since the day Irina Ulrich died. He had detested Irina and her daughter Jacquelyn Claire because they were fabulously rich, and the fact that Irina's name and wealth was plastered all over the news for her huge parties and various charities and philanthropic works had caused him anger.

He had purchased a snake from a questionable dealer, who had been arrested and executed for his part in Irina's death, as were Abner and Marva Melbolger, who owned the hotel where Irina and Jacquelyn lived. The snake bit Irina as she and her daughter were in the lobby and killed her.

Irina hadn't been the only victim of the snake's poison. In fact, so many other people (and animals) were killed by the cobra. The cobra was eventually caught and destroyed, but not before 24 innocent people were slain. The hotel was shut down and the owners were executed.

Elbert gasped as a huge python slithered his way into the work shed he once owned. Gus said to him, "Elbert Braun, your time on this earth has expired."

"Gustin Von Ninglied," Elbert said with a sneer on his face. "You and your family have interfered in the lives of humans when you should have kept to the old ways."

"My father and mother believed that humans needed compassion, not cruelty," said Gus. "But beware, for your death comes to you in the form of a girl whose mother you killed."

Elbert gasped as he saw Jacquelyn standing behind him, with Minerva perched on her shoulder. "You were supposed to be in an orphanage!" he shouted as he saw the girl.

"I escaped," said Jacquelyn, "for I cannot live in peace until the monster who killed my mother is himself destroyed."

_In her mind's eye, she saw a huge and terrible cobra leering at her. Its dark scaly body had jewels all over it. He said, "Don't I look pretty?"_

_Jacquelyn remembered a scene in The Hobbit where Bilbo Baggins was in Smaug's cave and he saw the weak spot on the dragon's body. A spot that was directly where the heart should have been._

_"Old fool," Minerva said. "You've come unprepared to meet your doom."_

_"Minerva, sister of Gus," said the cobra. "You assist this foolish child?"_

_"Don't talk to her like that!" Jacquelyn snapped as she reached for a sword._

_"The sword your mother carried when she cut off my tail," said the cobra. "But she wasn't fast enough to stop me. I killed her, and now, I get her daughter. Two for the price of one."_

_Jacquelyn found herself lunging at the cobra. How dare that creature take away her mother, especially if she was the only parent Jacquelyn had on this earth. She slashed at the snake again and again, thinking about her dead mother._

_"You think of your mother?" the cobra taunted. "Why don't you join her then?"_

_"Never in this way!" Jacquelyn cried out. "You have broken me and hurt me and you took away the only mother I have on this earth!"_

_The cobra laughed as Jacquelyn cried out, "And I bet you killed Gus and Minerva's parents as well! You're the evil of evil! There is a Hell, and you sent so many good people there!"_

_"Is that so?" the cobra mocked. "Little one, your days have ended; too bad you haven't had the chance to live your life..."_

_Just then, Jacquelyn threw herself at the empty spot where the cobra's heart was and jammed her sword there. The cobra screamed and cried out, "That was my heart, you little brat! How did you know?"_

_"The heart is where the most important things in life lay," Jacquelyn said in turn as the large cobra sank to the ground. "Now you must die."_

_She stood up and said, "Her child will crush your head, and you shall bite his heel." The last thing the cobra remembered was the heel of her boot coming down on his head, crushing his skull._

Within a few seconds, the scene changed and Jacquelyn gasped as she saw Elbert screaming something akin to a confession. The police frowned and one said, "This one's bound for Volterra."

"What's in Volterra?" Jacquelyn asked curiously.

"The Volturi have taken care of criminals in Italy for the last 25 years," said the cop. "In fact, it's so much easier to hand them over to the Volturi for consumption rather than fill the jails. Criminals whose crimes are especially heinous are sent to the Volturi; but we never let anyone know that."

Jacquelyn nodded and watched grimly as Elbert was taken away. Minerva said to her, "You did it! You have slain the snake! You have avenged your mother!"

"But he is still alive," Jacquelyn cut in.

"It's like you've said, there is a God, and He's always watching you," said Gus. "He will deal with Elbert. But you still must find true love. The man you will find is broken and he must be fixed before he can be free."

"And he is seeking you," said Minerva. "You must go to him."

Jacquelyn looked at the snakes for a moment and said, "So you're saying that I must go to Volterra and find this young man before he is too broken to fix?"

"You must," said Minerva. "We will go with you to Volterra."

Jacquelyn stared at the sky. The sun was rising, and she knew she had a long way to go before she could be healed of her pain. "We shall go to Volterra," she said at last.

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><p>Jasper frowned as he stared at a group of girls standing before him. "They are too young," he said before Jane dismissed them.<p>

Alec said, "We have torn this town upside down and you still haven't found your pet. You are so picky!"

Jasper said, "I'm looking for a certain kind of girl, the kind who you lose your heart to before you think about it."

"Have you been reading those cheap romance novels?" Felix mocked.

"Now now," said Aro. "Let's not tease poor Jasper. I'm sure he'll find his pet soon."

Marcus said, "I just had a revelation: he doesn't need to find his pet, for she is coming to us."

"Indeed," said Aro. To Heidi and Renata, he said, "Find this young girl and bring her here. Make sure she goes without a fuss." The guards nodded and walked out the door as Caius said, "A human in our castle? Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"It is," said Aro, "and who knows? Maybe something good will come from this. We shall see."

Jasper nodded, knowing that his pet was coming to him...

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	5. Fated Meeting

Jacquelyn, Gus, and Minerva found themselves on the road again. It had been a few hours since they had found the man responsible for killing their parents and sending Jacquelyn to a foster family.

Now that man was on his way to Volterra to be punished for his sins of murder. This meant he was to be eaten by the Volturi.

All three sat in the back of the bus that was carrying a group of unsuspecting tourists from several countries to Volterra, where a good portion of them would end up as a meal for the Volturi.

Minerva said, "Now is the time to find true love."

"I never had much of a concept of love," said Jacquelyn. "To me, love is something that must be avoided at all times."

"But your mother loved you," said Gus.

"Only because mothers must," Jacquelyn said. "But did she love anyone else other than her only begotten daughter? I think not, or I would have had a new father by now."

Minerva said, "And if you didn't have a father...how did your mother manage to raise you?"

"She was rich," said Jacquelyn. "Everything she had is now mine. I think that guy was after me just to steal my inheritance."

"So you had a good reason for leaving," said Gus.

Jacquelyn nodded and stared out the window as the city of Volterra got closer. She had heard rumors about the vampires living in the city for many years, and they had never left their castle. But would Volterra be the place where she would meet her destiny?

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><p>Jasper frowned as he tugged on his boots and tied his cape. It was his turn to stand with the guards in the throne room.<p>

Aro smiled as he looked at the younger vampire, saying, "Today will be great, won't it, young Jasper?"

"Let's hope for safety's sake that I get my pet," said Jasper. "I've waited a long time for this day."

"Of course you have," said Aro. "And by the looks of it, she'll be arriving...soon."

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><p>When the bus pulled up to the castle, the people were dragged out. Renata and Heidi smiled, thinking of the meals they would soon be eating.<p>

But when Jacquelyn came out, both of them smiled with glee; this certainly was the girl who would become Jasper's pet.

Heidi said to the people, "Welcome to Volturi Castle, let's all go inside, shall we?"

At once, the large group walked inside the huge castle. Renata scanned the crowd, looking for Jacquelyn. She spotted the girl with two small snakes standing near the back of the group.

Little did the people know that they would soon be eaten...

Alec smiled and said to Jane, "Look, Janie, there's your meal. Happy now?"

"They do look delicious," Jane smiled.

"Do we really have to eat those convicts?" Felix complained.

"Do we have any other choice?" Demetri said.

Fear gripped an elderly man as he walked towards a door. He said, "What's going on here?" But no one paid him any attention; they were too busy admiring the scenery.

Elbert gasped in horror as Gus slid over to him and said, "The time for judgment is upon you. I hope you've made your excuses to Saint Peter." Jacquelyn and Minerva nodded as they glared at him.

"What is happening?" the elderly man asked in fear as they got closer to the door. Everyone ignored him as Heidi opened the door and everyone walked into a small room. Jacquelyn, however, was distracted by a huge painting on a wall. Gun and Minerva hid themselves in her bag as she took a closer look at the painting.

"Do you like the painting?" Renata asked as she stood behind the younger girl.

"Yes," said Jacquelyn.

"Would you like to see the rest of the castle?" Renata said as she dragged Jacquelyn to the double doors that led to the throne room. They had barely walked through the doors before the horrified screams began to sound from the feeding room.

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><p>Aro smiled as he saw Renata walk into the throne room with a smaller girl next to her. He said, "Hello, young one, I am known as Aro. What are you known as?"<p>

"My name is Jacquelyn Claire Ulrich," said Jacquelyn.

"Jasper," Aro said to the young man standing next to him, "do you approve of this girl? Is she perfect for you?"

"She is," said Jasper with barely a hint of a smile on his face.

"Have Miss Jacquelyn cleaned up and brought back here," Aro said to some human servants who stood by another door. "I wish to know her more."

The servants bowed and took Jacquelyn out of the throne room. Caius said, "Well, that went better than expected."

"But I wonder if she is the one who could save us all," said Marcus. "She is just a girl; I was expecting a bit...more."

"For now, let us be content with her as our esteemed guest," said Aro.

Jasper ignored the conversation and frowned; this little pet would hopefully not get away...

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	6. Total Eclipse of the Heart

Jacquelyn found herself being taken to the baths that were located behind the castle. Gus and Minerva remained hidden in her bag. None of them realized that the next hour of their lives would be their last...

Aro smiled at Jasper and said, "So, how did we do? Do you like your new pet?"

"I do," said Jasper.

Caius glared at them and said, "This isn't right what you are doing, Aro. This pet, she's too young for us and on top of that, she knows too much about vampires. We have to stop this before it goes too far."

Marcus said, "But what of the old days when we once kept humans as pets? Were we not so different from him? He needs her and she needs him. I have a feeling that we will need her."

"Indeed," said Caius as he sat on his throne. "Now someone fetch me a snack; I'm feeling peckish." Immediately, a human was brought to the Volturi.

"Elbert Braun," Aro said as he laid eyes on the man. "Did you know that we've been after you for twenty years?"

Marcus said, "You were responsible for the disaster at the hotel eight years ago."

"Releasing that snake into the hotel lobby was a bad idea," Caius hissed at Elbert. "One little girl lost her mother as a result of your stupidity. Now you must die."

Elbert screamed in horror as the vampires pounced on him...

* * *

><p>Jacquelyn stood in the middle of what appeared to be a large bedroom. It's a tomblike room, but quite almost lightless. The walls are covered in graffiti, broken up by heavy, springtime green curtains on the windows. Minerva gasped as she slid out of the bag and saw Jacquelyn. Her hair was washed until it returned to its dark color, her skin was moon-pale, and most of her jewelry gleamed in the sunlight.<p>

Gus said, "Well, we're now stuck in a vampire's den. How are we going to escape this time?"

"We don't," said Minerva. "Remember, Jacquelyn must heal a man who needs love. If we leave now, she'll never find true love."

"Yeah, yeah," Gus muttered as Jacquelyn walked into the room. She said, "What do we do now?"

Jasper walked into the room. It was now evening, and Jacquelyn had shared her dinner with Gus and Minerva a few hours earlier. He said, "I take it that you're my new pet."

"What? Like a lap dog?" Gus smirked.

Jasper glared at him. "Not like a lap dog."

"What are you talking about then?" Minerva said.

"I need a human pet," said Jasper, "and she's it."

Minerva was angry. "She's a girl, not an animal!"

"But she'll be my pet nonetheless," said Jasper, "so you rattlesnakes better be nice."

"We're not rattlesnakes!" Gus yelled in anger, but they all gasped as they saw Jacquelyn walking towards them wearing a beautiful dress. This charming lavender chiffon gown, woven with ferns, seems to have been made for a little girl. Jasper frowned; he'd have to have a word with the wives later.

Jacquelyn said, "So I take it that you have met Gus and Minerva?"

"Well," said Jasper, "they don't seem to be welcoming me very much."

"I wonder why," Jacquelyn said as she approached him.

Jasper found himself smiling in excitement; this girl was a rare beauty, even if she seemed to favor dark clothing.

Minerva hissed at Jasper and crawled into a huge basket that sat in the corner of the room. Gus followed his sister while giving Jacquelyn a sad look. Jasper smiled and said, "Come with me."

Jacquelyn nodded, but she was nervous. She had no idea of what she had gotten herself into; especially now that she was among vampires. Jasper reached over and took her hand, guiding her to the door. The door that led to their future...

* * *

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	7. A Child's Tale

That evening, Jacquelyn found herself sitting with the Volturi in the dining room. Even though the ancient vampires had no need to eat human food, Aro had seen to it that Jacquelyn was fed.

He said, "Now tell us your story and do not leave anything out."

Jacquelyn sighed and for the next three hours, she described everything to the old vampires. Her birth; her early life on Fleet Street in London, England; her mother taking her to Italy; her mother's death; her being sent to a foster family; her doubts and fears; her decision to run away; and finally, how she came to find Elbert and make him pay for her mother's death.

Aro smiled and said, "That was a marvelous story! Such a shame about your poor mother; she seemed like a wonderful person."

"I agree," said Caius, "and I would like to add that you did the right thing by coming here. The way I see it, the human world has no place for girls like you, as you have rejected the world's ideas of what a girl should be like."

Marcus frowned and said nothing.

Jasper stood up and said, "You've kept her long enough; I shall take her and retire to my chambers now." He took Jacquelyn and they left the dining hall.

"Such a nice girl," Aro smiled. "I do hope that we see her again soon."

"Not too soon, I hope," Caius said as Jane glared at them both.

* * *

><p>As soon as they were back in Jasper's room, Jasper said, "You must be real lucky impressing them. Very few humans who Aro meets escape from him with their humanity intact; not that he won't decide to turn you, of course."<p>

Jacquelyn noticed a bed in the darkest corner of the room and Jasper said, "You should rest here tonight, you must have had a rough journey getting here." She nodded and pulled at the dress, until Jasper slipped the dress over her unnaturally thin shoulders and set it in a chair.

As soon as he was out for another round of light snacking, Minerva crawled out of the basket and said, "How did it go?"

"Not too bad," said Jacquelyn. "But I have a feeling that he is imprisoned in his mind and he must be set free."

"So we shall free him," said Minerva. "But before we free him, we must learn about him so we'll know who and what we're saving him from."

Jacquelyn nodded and crawled into bed; it had been a long day for her and the snakes. But she knew that it was not over yet, not as far as Jasper was concerned...

* * *

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	8. Here Comes the Rain Again

Jasper frowned as he and the other guards (Alec, Felix, Demetri, and Jane) returned home from another night of "light snacking". Hopefully, he had his pet to talk to.

Speaking of Jacquelyn, she was still in the room asleep. The snakes were still in the basket. Upon hearing him, Minerva slithered out of the basket and said to him, "You do not seem to enjoy yourself here."

Jasper said to her, "Why would you want to say something crazy about that?"

"You are not happy," Minerva said again.

Jasper frowned as he stared at the tiny snake. Snakes were smart he said to himself, but they are bothersome.

Just then, Jacquelyn woke up and stared at him. Jasper did not know what to do or say. Minerva said to her, "He is broken. He needs to be put back together."

Jacquelyn nodded; now was the time that Minerva said that she would find true love. But would she be able to love a broken vampire?

* * *

><p>La Push, Washington<p>

What if the Twilight story never happened?

Leah Clearwater sat sobbing in the kitchen of the house she and Sam Uley had shared. Earlier, she had learned from Jacob Black that her husband had been cheating on her with her own cousin, Emily Young. Emily had been abandoned by her husband Steve Johnson the year before.

What Leah didn't understand was how Sam could have taken advantage of that poor woman like that. Emily had had a child with Down syndrome and another child with autism, plus two children who were albinos and a son who had vitiligo. Emily had been the unluckiest woman in La Push.

Not like Leah, since all her children were born healthy. It was unnatural for any child in La Push to be sick. But that was not the worst of it.

Leah's father, Harry, had just died of a heart attack a few weeks before; the memory of the funeral was still fresh in her mind. She needed to go to her old house and check up on her mother, Sue.

Leah grabbed the car keys and was about to leave when she spotted a red car speeding toward her. It was Bella Swan, who had just left her husband a few hours earlier.

* * *

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	9. Love Stinks!

Bella Swan found out that her husband, Mike Newton, had been cheating on her.

She packed up their two children, Michael junior and Alexa, and left the home that she shared with her husband. She needed to talk to someone about this immediately.

So she drove off to La Push.

Leah saw her and said, "What happened?"

"Stupid Mike," Bella snapped in anger. "Why did you have to tell me that Mike was cheating on me? Seriously, what do you have against me?" Leah ignored her. "I demand an answer from you!" Bella yelled again.

Leah sighed and walked to her car. "Yeah, just go!" Bella snapped. "Just walk away from me and not care if I am hurt or not! I'm going back to Charlie's."

And with that, Bella stormed away.

Leah turned and saw Bella leaving her house. She wanted to explain herself, but that would mean bringing up Sam and Emily and she was not about to do that at all.

She wondered if her attitude was driving away everyone who loved her. First it was Jacob, who defended from the pack her until she betrayed him. Then she alienated Seth and his children during a family gathering. Then she turned a deaf ear to Emily when she was crying. She was crying because her husband had abandoned her and their unlucky children. She became so cold and cruel that Sam refused to talk to her and even their children feared her.

Now it was Bella. Brave, clumsy, and stubborn Bella. Leah knew that Mike had been in an accident and just as he was recovering, he received word that a relative had died. That had him off in some other place helping the family in their time of grief.

Leah Clearwater was definitely the witch of La Push. One that needed to be dealt with or more people in La Push would suffer. She got into her car and headed to Sue's house.

Perhaps her mother knew the answers to her problems.

-

* * *

><p>Jasper frowned as he watched Jacquelyn wake up. She had been asleep nearly all day and she refused to open any curtains. Nor would she allowed any light to shine on her.<p>

She was a tortured soul.

Jasper said to her, "You are not happy."

"As long as my mother is dead, I can never be happy," Jacquelyn said as she stared at her arms.

Ever since she was 8 years old, Jacquelyn had taken to carving her mother's name on her arms. She had done that on many occasions; whenever she saw a happy child and his mother, on her mother's birthday, and on the day that she died. After 7 years, the name IRINA was all over her arms, from her wrists to her shoulders. It was as if Jacquelyn didn't even want to recover from her mother's death.

Jasper reached out and took her hand in his. He saw the name IRINA carved onto her hands, her palms, and every one of her fingers. He said, "Has no doctor offered to remove these welts from your hands?"

"As long as I live, these welts will NOT go away," Jacquelyn said sadly. "My mother is dead. I will never have the happy life that most people living in this world take for granted. If it were, then I would gladly die and rejoin her in Heaven. But I can't. So I resorted to the next best thing."

"What was that?" asked Gus.

"I sought my own end," said Jacquelyn. "It's so easy to die. Poison, being shot or stabbed, a head injury too severe to survive. But then I thought about being a victim of someone else's crime. Maybe I would be run over in an accident. Knowing that if I died in any case, then at least I would die happy. But here I still am, an unhappy girl now living among vampires. Should one of them unintentionally kill me, I wouldn't mind at all."

Jasper stared at her for a long time. It was hard for this child to talk of her own demise when she survived many years as a foster child. There was a small wonder that she turned to the Goth subculture and even to engage in risky behaviors that could mean her own death.

Minerva said, "She's just as broken as he is. We must put them back together."

"I'm not sure if being put back together is the best option for her right now," said Gus. "She'll have to suffer a bit more until she decides that she needs healing."

Jasper took her hand and led her out the door. He needed to talk to someone who understood pain. And if there was anyone in the Volturi who understood pain, it would be Marcus.

At that, a girl's life was at stake.

* * *

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	10. Heal the Pain

Jasper took Jacquelyn to Marcus's office. The older vampire frowned as he listened to Jacquelyn's sad story about her life. But when he saw the child's scars, anger filled him.

"Who has done this to her?" he snarled. "Name the monster who harmed her and I'll personally tear him apart."

"No one hurt her," said Jasper. "She did that to herself."

"Now why would she do anything like that?" Marcus said.

"Because it was my fault that my mother had died," said Jacquelyn. "And I just couldn't bear to see another child and their mother when my mother is no longer here. I carved her name on my arms so I would never forget what I had lost and to keep from loving someone else who could have adopted me."

"I see," said Marcus. "And it is no less of a tragedy that you are unhappy. But we will have to heal you. You know nothing but pain, not even love."

Jasper said, "Now how will I go about healing her? She's too fragile for...other things."

"She's your pet," said Marcus. "So you can do with her what you wish. Now leave me to my grief."

Jasper stormed away in anger; he should have known that Marcus would use any opportunity to turn the person's grief against him. Jacquelyn did not say anything until they reached Jasper's room.

There, Jasper said to her, "Marcus is a very depressed and violable man. I advise you to steer clear of him if at all possible." He looked at her scars again and said, "You have not forgiven yourself for your mother's death. No child ever deserves to suffer like this."

Jacquelyn found herself crying; she had not cried in years. Not since her mother's funeral. But now, the tears fell from her face and onto her arms, essentially washing away the scars that remained.

Jasper did not notice her crying until he saw her collapse onto the floor and crying profusely. He thought to himself maybe she just needed a good cry. Crying comforts the heart and brings peace to the soul. Women were more prone to crying, he had discovered, and crying was not a sign of weakness, but of strength.

Jasper sat beside Jacquelyn and said nothing as she cried. But for her, her life would never be good. Not if she were to return to the human world. At length, he said, "You feeling all right, little lass?" She shook her head. Jasper then said, "Don't pay no mind to what Marcus says. He may be part of the Volturi, but he shuts himself away from everyone. He even uses his grief as a cloak. But don't let what he says bother you." Jacquelyn nodded, but still refused to speak. Jasper picked up the girl and set her on the bed, wiping away her tears and noting the disappearance of the scars that had been on her arms and hands. "Your mother will never truly leave you," he said as he sat beside the still unhappy girl. Jacquelyn nodded and turned away from him. Jasper sighed, knowing that there was still so much healing for them to go.

* * *

><p>Leah was certainly surprised when she saw Jacob, Sam, and several others gathering at Sue's house.<p>

Of course, her cruelty would reach the ears of the Elders, but Jacob was still unimpressed. He knew he had to put an end to Leah's cruelty.

"Why are you here?" Leah snapped. "It was already bad enough that you told me that Sam was cheating on me with Emily, but this takes the cake!"

"You destroyed Bella's marriage," Jacob said in turn. "You betrayed me! You had no right!"

"Like you're any better!" Leah snapped in turn. "Bella's husband was out of town, and you decided to make a move on her. What were you thinking?"

Sam cut in, saying, "Leah Clearwater, your cruelty has grown over the years, and for some reason, I can't look at you anymore." Paul and Jared stared at her. "We have decided to banish you from La Push."

Sue gasped in horror. "You would banish Leah from La Push? Without consulting the elders? Without consulting me? I'm her mother!"

"But she forgets her place," said Sam. "For years, I had to put up with her cruelty, but no more. Even her children want her to go away. I don't think there's any hope for her at this point in time."

"She must leave or we will execute her," said Jacob. "And she cannot return at all, not unless she wishes to be killed upon her returning."

Leah couldn't believe her ears; the entire tribe wanted her gone! How could this be? Especially since she was wronged in the first place.

Sam said to her, "You have five seconds to leave or you will die." Leah gasped in horror, but remained rooted to her spot.

Jacob said, "I hope you don't have a death wish, because I'll make it comes true."

Leah gasped in horror as she fled from the reservation. She knew that upon her exile, she would be declared dead to the tribe. But little did she know that she would be trapped in another world, one that would be her worst nightmare...

* * *

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	11. Human Behavior

While Jacquelyn Claire Ulrich was fighting to save her sanity, Leah Clearwater was fighting to save her own humanity.

Leah had been banished from La Push several hours before, and she was sure that she was losing her mind. After all, no Quileute had ever stepped out of the reservation and survived.

She was walking along in the woods when she heard a voice. "Leah."

"Dad?" she asked, afraid of what she knew. Her father was dead.

"Leah."

"Who are you?" she cried out as she turned to face the person.

"Why do you abandon your people?" asked the voice.

"Why do they cast me out?" Leah cried out in turn.

Something wasn't right; disembodied voices don't just come out and talk to people, Leah thought to herself as she ran.

"Leah," said the voice. "There is trouble in La Push. Something that has happened that should not have happened, and something that should happened that did not happen."

"What are you talking about?" Leah cried out.

"There is trouble brewing in La Push," said the voice, "trouble that escaped the Elders' reproach. It must be punished. You must return."

"If I return, then they will kill me on sight," Leah protested. "I must flee while I can still run."

"I will correct their mistakes," said the voice. "Now GO!"

* * *

><p>Jasper sat there, staring into space. A bath had been drawn and Jacquelyn was nowhere to be found.<p>

Minerva had convinced her to sit in a warm tub full of healing oils in the hopes that she could speed her recovery. Gus was hunting for their meal.

At length, Jacquelyn said to Minerva, "Don't you miss being a human?"

Minerva said, "I would, if only I could remember what it was like to be human. The last thing I can recall was mother whispering an incantation as the snake killed her..."

"Can't Gus reverse the spell?" Jacquelyn cut in.

"He's not advanced enough," said Minerva. "He too was turned into a snake. Only an advanced sorcerer can break the spell."

"There must be books in this place that are dedicated to spells and such," said Jacquelyn. "You and Gus could sneak into the library and find them."

"We could," said Minerva. "They will never notice two snakes crawling around here. But first, you must recover."

Jacquelyn sighed and stepped out the tub. A glance into the mirror showed that she was so pale that her skin was even whiter than milk. She seemed to resemble a vampire. How ironic, she thought to herself. I become obsessed with vampires and now I end up living in a vampire's castle. I even look like one. Life sure has a funny way of irony.

But then again, she knew that come what may, she would have to submit to being an actual vampire.

She reached for her dressing gown and walked out the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Old Quil Ataera knew something was wrong when Leah walked into the woods and did not return.<p>

He was among the oldest in the Quileute population, and he had certainly seen better days. This was not one of them. "There is something wrong," he muttered to himself.

Sitting beside him was his grandson, Quil Ataera III. Quil frowned, not approving of Jacob's handling of Leah Clearwater's situation. Something had to be done about that.

Just then, a huge black wolf lunged towards them. Old Quil screamed and clutched his grandson as the wolf growled at them. It stared at them for a moment, then bounded towards Emily's house.

Emily!

Quil Junior quickly helped his grandfather into their house and ran towards Emily's house. Emily had no idea about the wolves existing, nor did she know about the Quileutes' connection to the wolves. She was in grave dangerâ€¦

* * *

><p>Jasper was very excited when he saw his pet step out of the bathroom wearing little more than a dressing robe. He said, "Well, little lass, I take it you are healed?"<p>

"Only in body; her mind has a long way to go," said Minerva.

"I see," said Jasper. "Now where did your brother get off to? He said he was to fetch you some snacks, but he hasn't showed up yet."

"I'm here now," said Gus as he crawled into the room. He dropped a huge rat in front of Minerva and said, "If only more vampires ate rats than humans, then this castle wouldn't have such an infestation."

"I see," said Jasper. He stood up and said, "You mind giving her some space?"

"Yes, but we'll be watching you," said Minerva as she pounced on the rat. "She's still fragile."

Jasper sighed and led Jacquelyn back to the bed. Hopefully a prolonged sleep would do her some good.

* * *

><p>Emily smiled as her tiny children ran around the house playing. There was nothing to disturb them.<p>

But for her, a huge wolf growled as soon as it spotted her.

None of the children noticed the wolf as it lunged at Emily. She took off for the gardens, screaming her head offâ€¦

Paul heard Emily's screams and rushed towards Emily's house. Quil had already reached the house and was blocking the doorway so that the children could not get out.

Sam said, "Emily? Where is she?"

"I found her!" Jared yelled as he rushed back to the house with Emily. She was badly hurt.

"What happened?" Sam cried out.

"I heard her screaming and rushed here," said Paul.

"Does anyone know who caused this?" Jared cried out.

"What happened?" Sue cried out as she came to the house with Seth.

"Emily's been attacked," Sam said with a sad look on his face.

* * *

><p>Leah saw the wolf and yelled, "Why did you attack my cousin? She did nothing wrong!"<p>

The wolf said, "Sam devoted himself more to her than to his own wife. She had to pay for his sins of abandoning you."

"Who are you?" Leah snapped. "Why are you doing this?"

"I am Taha Aki," said the wolf. "My children have forgotten about their legacy. They have forgotten about me. This is not good. I will make them learn."

Billy saw the wolf talking to Leah. He stood up and shouted, "Leah, run! I'll hold him off..."

But the wolf pounced on him and he screamed in horror...

* * *

><p>Jasper inspected Jacquelyn's arms and concluded that there were no carvings or whatnot on her body.<p>

But that didn't mean she wasn't still hurting.

"You all right, little lass?" he asked as Jacquelyn wrapped herself into the robe. She shook her head. Jasper frowned as he clutched to the girl before she could turn away. Jacquelyn struggled a bit before relaxing, but she still did NOT know what a pet does.

At length, what she needed to do now was to save herself.

* * *

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	12. The Madness of Life

Billy and Emily's lives hung in the balance.

Sam and the others freaked out when they found out that Taha Aki discovered what they did to Leah and he decided to punish them for it. They did not know what to do with Leah at all.

Old Quil said, "Well, if you hadn't kicked her out, then none of this would be happening! Their blood is on your hands!"

He didn't stop, but continued to scold everyone in the waiting room until Quil jr. stood up and said, "I'll get him home; it's 5:00 and he becomes cranky at 5:00. Keep me posted, ok?"

"Very well," Sam frowned as he watched Quil and his grandfather leave. He knew that it was time for an overdue assessment of himself. Leah was still angry with him, and he had turned their children and everyone else against her.

For once in his life, Sam Uley was unsure of himself.

* * *

><p>Jasper frowned as he stood in his place beside Aro. He was wishing that he could be anywhere but the throne room. Aro had called for a meeting with the guards to discuss the future of their world.<p>

"Something is missing," said Aro as he stared at the guards, "but I don't know what it is."

"Why do you suggest this?" said Alec. "There's nothing wrong here."

"I do know that there are bad things that are happening. The world has been thrown out of balance. There is great suffering in the streets. Children have no food or home or hope, and many of them die due to various abuses and whatnot."

"I believe that we should go back to our roots," said Caius. "Once we were the feared monsters of the night. Now we've been turned into something of a laughingstock. I despise any human who dares make fun of me!"

"So let us go back to our old ways, when we ate only the poorest of humans," said Marcus. "They won't be missed at all. We have the largest coven in the vampire world and who would care if a poor person went missing?"

"I don't like that idea, but we happen to have over 300 members here," said Aro, "and not everyone wishes to drink those who have been bad. So once a week, or however often you feed, please bring back any human who exhibits any vampire-like behavior. I will have them turned at once."

"What of the children?" asked Jane.

"We do not create any immortal child, but in case said child displays such tendencies, we shall send them to the wives," said Aro.

Jasper frowned as he headed back to his room. He could not believe that Aro had suggested that they revert to their earlier primitive vampire ways. But on one hand, it would curb the world population some, but then again, it reminded him of his wasted years with Maria.

He reached his rooms and saw Jacquelyn speaking to the snakes. All three seemed to be discussing something rather important, or they would have seen him.

Jasper sat in a chair and thought about what he would do next. He wasn't about to just eat humans randomly like everyone else; his talent of reading/manipulating emotions would not allow him to do that. But a vampire had to feed.

And if he had to find an alternative to humans, so be it.

* * *

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	13. Red Skies at Night

Camille Von Meliskold's life had not been the same since the day that Carlisle Cullen died.

She had gone to Germany and lived there since the botched trial; the judge and mayor had put a huge bounty on her head for killing Carlisle and causing his father to die of grief. Elizabeth Hamilton, her rival (and the woman who should have married Carlisle) married a son of Dagbert Trublood and they had several children. Camille had nearly succeeded in destroying her, had that foolish Englishman not betrayed HER at the courthouse.

She sat by the door listening for the sounds that would end her hours of loneliness and pain. That would be Caroline Von Meliskold, who would be on her way home from school.

After hiding from authorities at her grandmother's house for several years, Camille married a sorcerer named Leopold Darkmoon and had her daughter, Caroline. She also bargained for immortality so that she could continue living even after everyone in her time period was dead.

Caroline walked into the house. Camille ignored her only daughter as she walked by, preferring to devise ways of returning to England without anyone figuring out her crimes. There was still the bounty that was on her head and there were rumors about the murder of Carlisle Cullen that survived 3 centuries after his death. Camille had been a great beauty in her time, with a waterfall of chestnut hair and eyes of scintillating forest-green. She had been blessed with nearly pure white skin, dainty feet, flawless skin, and the ability to charm anyone into doing whatever she wished. Caroline, however, was not so lucky; not with her frizzy blonde hair and blue eyes, her rodent-like face, her large hooked nose, her overlarge ears, and her brutish personality.

Camille knew it was trouble when Caroline had questioned her about why they were living in Germany. For many years, Caroline had wondered why she wasn't beautiful like the other girls and why she never exactly aged like everyone else. Camille said to her, "They did not want us living in England; they had sided with the woman who killed my true love in cold blood and got away with it." She neglected to tell Caroline that SHE had caused Carlisle's death and tried to frame Elizabeth, but that failed when she was forced to flee from her home in England. Camille refused to tell Caroline that she looked almost like her former rival as well.

She stood up and walked to the window of their huge castle. Once again, Camille was searching for a sign that signaled that it was safe for her to return to England. For many years, Camille had grown bored with living in Darkmoon castle; she had no other children with her but Caroline; Leopold refused to let her have any other children after Caroline's birth nearly 300 years earlier. He also had no interest in fatherhood, preferring to keep to his alchemy lab. He had agreed to marry Camille as long as she stayed inside the castle.

Just then, the sky turned red. A red sky was not a good thing, as that meant danger. Camille noticed that there were no moon, stars, or even clouds to block the red sky. That was a sure sign that danger was coming.

There would be no returning to England for her.

* * *

><p>Aro noticed the red sky and said, "This is not good. Did you know that under a red sky, the dead crawl from their graves and torture the living?"<p>

"Indeed," said Marcus. "Those who died before their time are returning to bring pain to us all."

Caius frowned, saying, "It is only for those damned superstitious mortals; not that we care about any of this. Why should we? We're vampires, we're immortal, we're above humans! I'm not worried about that at all!"

Aro said, "Or what if this is a sign that something isn't right and we need to fix it before we are all destroyed?"

"Maybe," said Marcus as he left the throne room.

* * *

><p>Sam found himself looking at the red sky. "This is bad," he said.<p>

"Will the dead show up like they do in those movies?" Paul asked.

"I don't know," said Sam, "but what I do know is that something is going to happen. What it is, I don't know."

Old Quil said, "The dead, they rise up and torture us! It is those who died before their time that return to taunt those who outlived them. We will see that happen."

Sam nodded, and then said, "Still no word on Billy and Emily?"

"No," said the old man, "but take heart; neither are badly hurt. But our ancestor is still angry and he demands something from us. Something that should have happen that did not happen. That is what Taha Aki seeks."

Paul frowned, wondering why their greatest ancestor was seeking something that was not there. But then again, something needed to be done to save their tribe; they might not survive past the red skies.

Also, some lives were at stake.

* * *

><p>Jacquelyn and the snakes were fast asleep in Jasper's room, not knowing that the skies above Volterra had turned red and the air was fraught with the smell of blood. Jacquelyn was still trying to recover from her ordeal and with her trying to help Gus and Minerva, she could not be bothered with the sky changing colors at all.<p>

But she would be the one to get what she truly wanted, if she looked past the red sky.

* * *

><p>Camille frowned as she searched the skies, but so far, nothing had changed. She began to wonder what it would have been like had Carlisle lived and she married him. There would have been no need to hide in a sorcerer's castle in the woods. She would have gotten rid of Elizabeth for good. She would have gotten the family she had desired rather than the family that she had now.<p>

Just then, the smoke coming over the horizon was spotted. The time had come for judgment and changes...

* * *

><p>(We just can't have a Twilight fanfic without the Annoying Nomads, or can we?)<p>

James, Laurent, and Victoria were in the streets of Venice, Italy, having eaten several hours before. They were not too concerned with the red skies, only about having fun and causing trouble for the poor humans.

Laurent said, "Maybe we should head to the next town; there's scores of humans there who won't be missed if they were to disappear."

"I agree," said Victoria. "We need a challenge."

James said, "I say we head off to Volterra; there's lots of people for us to eat there."

So as all three (annoying) nomads made their way to Volterra, they had no idea that their lives were about to be changed forever...

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	14. Runaway Love

Jasper was beginning to wish that he was anywhere but with the Volturi.

He was tired of having to deal with them and their nonsense. And besides, why would he want to put up with them when he had a pet to play with.

Jasper made his way to his room, where Jacquelyn and the snakes were. Both Gus and Minerva were asleep in their baskets and Jacquelyn was sitting in a tub filled with cold water. She was not feeling well and she needed to cool down before she got sick.

Jasper saw her sitting in the tub and said, "Are you not feeling well?"

"No," she said. She shifted herself so that she was facing him. "Why are you with them?" she asked.

Jasper paused; no one had asked him that question before. Sure he had no where to go when the Volturi executed Maria for causing undue trouble in the south, but he knew that he should have gone with Peter and Charlotte when he had the chance to. But when Chelsea persuaded him to come with her and join the Volturi, Jasper knew better than to refuse.

He frowned and stood up, scooping Jacquelyn out of the tub. "You're gonna be catching your death if you sit in there too long," he said as he wrapped the girl in a towel and carried her to the room. Minerva almost woke up upon hearing the noises, but then she relaxed and went back to sleep. Jasper set her on the bed and frowned, not knowing what he should be doing next.

It wasn't that Jasper didn't have any female admirers, but most of them knew better than to get too close to him. Maria had killed any other woman (both human and vampire) who had made the mistake of getting too close to Jasper. But surely he was not one to take advantage of this poor little girl who was in his room; he knew that some vampires had raped and tortured many young women who they lured away from the safety of their homes.

Jasper lifted the towel from Jacquelyn's body. She gripped his hand and said, "No." He stared at her in confusion. "No," she whimpered again.

"I will not hurt you," he said as he watched tears fall from her eyes. Had she been abused? Did anyone harm her? He would find out and then deliver the Volturi's justice to that horrible monster. "Did anyone hurt you?" he asked.

"No," she whispered.

Jasper slipped off his Volturi robes and sat beside Jacquelyn. She grew frightened and curled up away from him. "No," she said. Jasper reached out to take the girl's hand. "You are safe here," he said gently but firmly. "No one is going to hurt you. Please..."

Jacquelyn stared at him for a few moments. How can someone like him-a vampire-possibly keep her safe from harm? Especially since vampires have killed millions of humans over the centuries? She did not understand.

Jasper sighed and reached over to her, saying, "Do not be afraid." Jacquelyn nodded and began crying gently. He stripped down to nothing and held her to him. Jacquelyn frowned, knowing what was going to happen. But was she ready for it?

Jasper said, "Please don't be sad." Jacquelyn nodded and curled up beside him. Would Jasper Whitlock, former Confederate Major from Texas and Guard of the Volturi, be the one to take away her pain?

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><p>The Annoying Nomads (James, Laurent, and Victoria) were now somewhere next to Naples. All day and night, they had to listen to humans complaining about the red sky. The sky was so red that it could be seen at night as well as during the day. Many people suspected everything from aliens to the return of Jesus Christ as the reasons why the sky was red.<p>

Laurent said, "I don't know what the people are saying, but I don't like it. They are too full of fear."

Victoria said, "I heard some old woman say that the dead are coming back to life. I hope that doesn't mean that our meals are coming back to haunt us."

"Possibly not," said James. "The sky smells like blood. I'm not sure if we have to feed from humans as much as we usually do."

Just then, a scream was heard. A man was lying dead in the streets of Naples, with some strange symbol on his neck. "Not aliens and not zombies," Victoria said out loud.

"Then what is it?" another man cried out.

"Werewolves," said Laurent as he showed everyone the deep bloody scratches that ran down the victim's back.

Victoria said, "But I thought all the werewolves were dead! Extinct! Everyone knows that the Volturi wiped them out over 4 centuries ago!"

"Actually, that would be the work of Lord Caius," a vampire said, drawing everyone's attention. "After being attacked by a werewolf during an mission trip in the 1200's, Lord Caius set off with an army and marched upon their holdings, where they destroyed the werewolves in their human forms. But some had dared to survive and for countless centuries, they hid among us, plotting their revenge."

"Who are you?" James rudely addressed the vampire.

"My name is Dante Frost," said Dante, "and I'm here to warn you all: he or she who was involved in a murder that was committed out of selfishness will soon meet their deaths at the claws of the wolf."

He stood up and said, "I am going to Volterra to confer with Lord Aro regarding the murder of a man who could have improved life for both humans and vampires alike. Do you wish to share in my quest?"

James frowned, but Laurent said, "We would be happy to. In fact, we were just going there ourselves."

Dante said, "Then we shall depart immediately."

James frowned as he, Laurent, and Victoria walked off with the strange vampire. No one knew that they too were about to be involved in a very dangerous battle...

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><p>Jasper slid out of bed, heaving. He knew that it had been years since he had actually enjoyed sex, knowing that it was only with Maria that he had had these intimate encounters. Maria would never let another woman go near him at all.<p>

He frowned as he looked at his human pet, who had fallen asleep shortly after their tumble. She was a virgin, that he knew. Or she was, until a few hours ago. Jasper wondered if instead of comforting her, as he had wished to do, he had actually made things even worse for her.

Just then, Heidi came to the room. She had not seen Jasper lately and she had not seen Jacquelyn since the day that she brought the girl to the Volturi to be Jasper's pet.

She said to Jasper, "Aro did not see you at the meeting yesterday. Where have you been?"

Jasper said to her, "You do know that I have a pet, right?"

Heidi took a look at the sleeping Jacquelyn and said, "Please tell me that you didn't eat her; you do know that with your tastes, girls like her are very hard to find."

Jasper snapped, "I do know how to control myself, thank you very much, but I also prefer my light snacks. If you have a problem with me spending time with my little pet, as much as you go around seducing mortal boys during your time out of the castle..."

Heidi glared at him and Aro walked into the room, saying, "I see that Jasper likes his little pet. But I believe that he has yet to know of the problem that is plaguing us. The Romanians could be using the red sky to launch their attacks upon us. There would be untold amounts of human casualties. We need to put an end to them and quickly."

"We should," said Jasper. "The Romanians could be gathering allies even as we speak. I believe that they will attack us on St. Marcus's Feast Day."

"A repeat of the feat that is for the ages," said Aro. "Our own loyal human followers are in danger. You, Jasper, have the power to save us all."

Heidi said, "Are you saying that Jasper could...you know...use his powers to stop that army from reaching us?"

"How else did we find him?" Aro smiled. He took a look at Jacquelyn and said, "And we would like for her to join us, once she recovers from her devastating illness."

He and Heidi left the room and Jasper stood up. He needed to feed. He walked away from the bed, knowing that Jacquelyn would not wake up until evening. He needed to think of a strategy in order to stop the Romanians and their supporters. He would have to become "Major Jasper Whitlock" again.

Jacquelyn stirred a little, then fell back asleep. Jasper stared at her once more before leaving the room.

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	15. Truth or Death

Now we go back to Leah, who is still unhappy since she had a huge fight with Sam hours earlier. She had grabbed a pillow and blanket and said that she was staying with her mother for a while.

"Come on, Lee," Sam complained as Leah packed her bags. "How was I to know that Taha Aki would punish us for exiling you?"

Leah snapped, "And if you claim to have played the fool, I'm not buying it. Now please move so I can leave."

She pushed Sam aside and stormed away. Sam was upset that Leah was leaving him without so much as an apology from him. But just then, the sky shook and a voice boomed out, "YOU MUST SEEK THE TRUTH! SEEK IT NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!"

After that, Leah and Sam didn't say another word to each other for the rest of the evening.

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><p>Jacquelyn was sitting under a warm shower. She felt strangely odd upon waking up and not knowing what had happened last night. She had remembered Jasper sitting beside her, but what had happened next could never be recovered.<p>

Minerva slithered next to her and said, "You need to go out into the gardens. Only in the gardens can the spell that turned us into snakes be reversed."

Jacquelyn frowned, remembering what had happened seven years ago in a garden-like setting: her mother, Irina Ulrich, died after she was bitten by a king cobra snake in the Amazon Rose Hotel when Jacquelyn was just seven years old. Also, Gus and Minerva's parents, Styrax and Cardea Von Ninglied, were killed by the snake as well, with Cardea casting a spell on her children that turned them into snakes.

Jacquelyn stepped out the shower and was surprised to see herself going from her deathly pale color to a near-healthy color and her dark hair giving way to the blond that was sprouting underneath. She said to Minerva, "When do we need to go outside?"

"Tonight," said Minerva. "Mother said that the spell is going to wear off and in order to completely remove the spell, we must use the three objects that she left behind, and they must be bathed in cold fire."

"Cold fire? You've got to be kidding me!" Gus cried out as he slithered into the bathroom. "There's no way that you guys are going to be able to have a cold fire. Doesn't fire usually BURN things?"

"Not mother's fire," said Minerva as she glared at her brother. "We have to carry her instructions to the letter if we want to be free of this spell. Now, we're going to need father's wand and mother's mirror, plus a piece of the cobra's tail and meet in the garden. It has to be tonight."

Jacquelyn said, "And then how do we light the fire?"

"We light it using the blood of a cold drake," said Minerva. "Now we must get going now while we still can."

Jacquelyn nodded and went to get dressed while Gus said to Minerva, "This doesn't sound like a good idea, Minerva. What if it doesn't work?"

"It will work, Gustin," Minerva snapped at him. "It must work."

Jacquelyn found herself staring at a piece of the cobra's tail, the part that Irina had torn off while trying to protect her daughter from its venomous bite. Suddenly, she remembered fighting off the snake with her sword. Was it true that both she and her mother had face the same snake, and yet one of them escaped alive?

If that were true, then why did Jacquelyn survive and Irina did not?

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><p>Camille stared out the window of the car that was taking her and Caroline out of Germany and straight to Rome, Italy. Once there was a window of opportunity that opened (i.e., Leopold going away for a long journey), Camille took no chances and packed herself and her daughter up and left in the dead of night. Or was it night, as the red skies made it impossible for her to tell night from day.<p>

Caroline said very little during the journey and Camille found herself unable to keep up a polite conversation with her daughter. She began to wonder why they were drifting apart all of a sudden. They had never been close to begin with and now, they had become almost strangers to each other.

Camille wondered _had it all began on the day that Caroline was born?_ She remembered that day Caroline was born, on March 15, 1667. As soon as she was presented to her mother, Caroline had been banished to a room in the back of Camilla's house with only a nurse and tutor for company. Camille saw very little of Caroline during her childhood, preferring the company of the rich Germans that surrounded her grandmother and she longed to be in their world.

Camille said to herself, "Am I a bad mother? Did I mean to push Caroline away when I should have nurtured her? Can I truly give up my life to protect hers?" She did not know the answer to that question, but little did she know that there would be a riot that would result in her losing her only daughter forever and a cruel reminder of what she had done three centuries earlier...

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	16. Spellbound

Author's warning: this chapter contains scenes of violence and rioting. Please read at your own risk.

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><p>Jacquel, Gus, and Minerva had everything set up for tonight. They knew that after tonight, there was no going back for them at all.<p>

No one suspected that a girl and two snakes were rushing about the place; not when everyone was beginning to worry about the riots that were taking place in Volterra.

Aro hated riots, as riots often led to violence and unnecessary deaths. But he knew that vampires and werewolves would get involved whenever a riot happened and that too led to many unnecessary deaths.

He, Caius, and Marcus went outside to the courtyard to address the people. There had been rumors of food shortage and people hoarding food when they could be sharing with other people. Several people saw them and said, "Look, the Volturi have come!"

"Help us, Lord Aro!" cried several people. "Our children are starving and no one is giving us food to feed them!"

Caius said, "This is a bad idea, Aro. Things can escalate into violence."

"We has weathered worse, Caius," said Marcus.

"We want bread!" yelled a woman.

"Bread!" chanted several others.

"Well, if you want bread so much, then go find the people who are stingy and hide food in their own cabinets and take the food away from them," Caius snapped in anger. "I'm sure they won't mind at all."

"Indeed," said Marcus as they watched the crowd plow into several huge houses and restaurants and fighting with people for food. Aro shook his head and Caius said, "I could see it in their eyes. They wanted a riot, so I gave them a riot. There's nothing for it."

"We must leave now," said Aro. "The longer we stay out in this crowd, the dangerous it becomes." The old vampires quickly retreated into the castle with a small group of people following them.

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><p>"This is bad, Miss Camille," said the driver of the cab that was taking her and Caroline to their hotel. "We must turn back now."<p>

"A riot?" said Camille. She had seen riots in her youth, but thought that the people were stupid for being poor. She remembered her father and his men killing scores of people during these riots. That was, until he was found guilty of murder and hung when she was 10 years old.

She shook her head and said, "No matter. Run them over. It's their fault that they were poor." The driver frowned, but pressed forward. There was no arguing with Camille Von Melliskold. Once she made her decision, you had no choice but to go along with it. No arguing. No moral discussion. Camille's orders had to be obeyed no matter what.

Very soon, several people were being struck down by Camille's car. The moment that a small child had just barely missed being hit by the car, the crowd rounded on them. Camille frowned and said, "They're just people. I place a curse of death upon them if they should touch me."

Just then, the driver said, "We must leave now, Miss, Camille! Things are getting worse here!" Camille nodded, then turned to Caroline and her nanny, saying, "We must stick together. Take these knives and slit the throats of any who dare to touch you." She handed them knives and they jumped from the car and began running.

"Get the witch!" screamed a woman. "She almost ran over my son!"

"Catch her! Kill her!" yelled the crowd.

Camille frowned, remembering that the moment that her crime against the Cullen family had been exposed, the crowd tried to kill her. She placed a death curse on them and several of them fled. Many more died trying to prevent her escape.

But now, this was not 17th century England; it was post-modern Italy. They would not be as forgiving as the English were. Camille rushed off, with Caroline and the servant behind her and the driver bringing up the rear. They made a strange sight, but no one in Volterra cared. A child had almost been hurt. The woman whose car nearly hit him did not deserve to live.

"We're surrounded, Miss Camille," said the maid, whose name was Nichole. "We cannot get out."

"Then we fight our way out," said Camille. "They will flee once they see that their numbers dwindle."

She brandished her knife and waved it at the distraught mother, killing her immediately. The frightend little boy was snatched by Nichole, and Camille said, "This little boy should have died, but now he belongs to me. If you try to stop me from taking him, he will die and you will die as well. Take him, Henrik!"

And with that, all hell broke loose.

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><p>Leah was sitting at home watching some show on TV when the news about the riot in Italy broke out. So far, there had been almost 100 people dead and many more were hurt. Various other people had gone missing and the mayor's office had to be put on lockdown until the situation subsided.<p>

Leah gasped as she saw the police attempt to stop the riot and the people fighting back. She thought to herself why is this happening? What is going on that would cause people to riot in the streets? Little did she know that very soon, she herself would have to dodge a riot and fight for the truth...

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><p>In a dark corner of the Volturi's gardens, Jacquelyn, Gus, and Minerva had everything prepared for tonight's spellcasting. They had no idea that a riot had broken out in the streets, nor were they too concerned about the people who were fighting and dying. This spell needed to be completed or else Gus and Minerva would remain snakes for the rest of their lives.<p>

Jacquelyn arranged the wand and mirror into a huge circle that Minerva had drawn on the ground and dug a hole for the cobra's tail. after dropping the tail into the hole, Gus handed her the drake's blood, and Jacquelyn lit the tail on fire and the drake's blood turned it blue.

"Should we say a prayer first?" said Gus.

The others stood there, watching as a hole in the red sky opened up and the full moon had come forth. Jacquelyn fingered a cross in her hand and as if by instinct (although Irina had refused to teach her spellcasting), forced the cross into the hole along with an apple. Minerva said to her, "Why did you do that?"

"You yourself said that one day, snakes will be redeemed," said Jacquelyn. "This day is now. The full moon is upon us and the flames are turning cold."

"I suppose it's too late for me to go prank someone, right?" Gus joked.

"Let us proceed," said Minerva as she began to sing.

The blue fire soon drew several servants to the garden. Very soon, the Volturi were summoned. Aro frowned as he looked at the flames and said, "I wonder what is going on here?"

"Beats me," said Marcus. "I know nothing."

"Indeed," said Caius.

Jacquelyn stared into the flames for a long time. She could see her mother's face. Tears ran down, knowing that for years she had sought to end her own life, and she had tried various ways of doing that, only to have people intervene before death reached out and claimed her.

But this time, she was going to actually die.

She stood up and walked towards the fire, not noticing that the witnesses were gasping at her with horror. Some called out to her, begging her to stop and turn back, but she refused. As far as she was concerned, her life was over.

When she got to the middle of the ring of fire, she laid herself down, never screaming or crying out as the flames washed over her. "No, no!" Gus cried out and tried to grab her, but someone held him back as the flames rose higher. He could not believe that the only friend that he had known all his life was gone forever and there was no way that she was ever going to come back.

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><p>When morning came, Gus found himself waking up. But instead of a snake's body, he had the body of a human boy. The spell had worked!<p>

He stood up and began searching for Minerva. She too was restored to her human body. She said, "I guess that we needed a human sacrifice after all."

Gus said, "What does it matter? Jacquelyn is dead. It's over. She's not coming back."

Just then, a servant gasped, then scores of people turned and saw a strange sight: Jacquelyn was sitting in a huge circle, her skin and hair were both moon-bleached, and her eyes were a pale gray color.

Gus said, "I don't believe it!"

Jacquelyn stared at him and Minerva for a long time. They did not recognize her at all. Very soon, the people who had witnessed the burning also saw her. Aro said, "I don't believe this. She's become a vampire."

"And she didn't have to get bitten to be turned either," said Caius.

"I always knew that there was something off about her," said Marcus.

Jacquelyn stood up and someone wrapped her up in a blue silk robe. Then she walked away from the site with the Volturi and the people following her.

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	17. History Repeats Itself

History is about to repeat itself, because no one really learned anything!

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><p>Aro sighed as he learned of the results of the riot.<p>

There were over 1,000 people killed, and many other people wounded. Not to mention the multitudes of innocent children who were left behind or forgotten. Buildings were torn down and the streets were littered with debris.

He, Caius, and Marcus had recently toured the damaged city; many of the children noticed the Volturi and followed them back to the castle. Among them was little Corey Stewart, whose mother was slain as she tried to protect him from Camille's wrath when the riot happened. He was standing at the front of the group when Aro noticed him.

He said, "My name is Corey Stewart and I'm 3 years old."

"Where's your mother?" said Marcus.

"The mean old witch killed her," little Corey said as he burst into tears.

Aro and Caius felt sorry for the little boy. Caius said, "Don't feel sad, little boy. We'll find the witch and we'll kill her. You have my word; it will be done."

They had also found a young woman wandering near the fountains leading to the castle. She had been beaten and raped multiple times. She was naked and bleeding when they got her into the castle. As Aro questioned the child survivors of the riot, he said to Caius, "These are six-year-old children. They do not deserve this fate. Where are their parents?"

"Who knows?" said Caius. "Right now, we have 50 children without parents. How are we going to take care of them?"

"Send them to the wives," said Marcus. The others stared at him. "The wives would love to have some little children around."

"Indeed they would," Aro said as he had Jane herd the children toward the tower where Sulpicia and Athenodora lived. When they had gone, he turned to the young woman they had found near the castle. Marcus said, "What happened to you?"

"I don't know," said the girl. "One minute, I was standing next to my mother and the next minute, several hands tore me away from her and…" she refused to speak of what had happened to her.

Aro saw what had happened to her. He said, "I want these men brought forward to me immediately; they will face the Volturi's justice. No woman deserves to be hurt like that and she certainly deserves better." Alec, Felix, Demetri, and several other vampires rushed out the throne room as Aro called for a servant and told them to wash the girl of the filth of the riot.

As for Caroline Darkmoon, she was sure that she deserved her beating and rape; she had openly protested the killing of Petra Stewart, the mother of little Corey, and she refused to kill anyone who had gotten in her way. She was too nice to hurt anyone.

And then again, Caroline and Camille had never seen eye to eye, especially since they barely spoke to each other. _Normal mothers and daughters love each other, not break away from each other_, she told herself as the servants tore off the rags that were once an elegant dress and scrubbed away the blood and dirt. _Why did my mother not care for me? What have I done wrong to make her hate me so? If I were a boy, I could have left her ages ago_.

Little did she know that there was another girl suffering the loss of her mother living in the castle. But that girl's story had left much to be desired.

Camille surveyed the damage that she had done: Henrik was dead; his throat slashed by an angry man who had rescued the kidnapped boy. Nichole had been separated from Caroline and was hiding in a garbage can when Camille had found her. She wasn't upset about Caroline at all.

"Miss Camille," said Nichole, "We are not safe here."

"Indeed we are no…" Camille glared around her. "What happened to Caroline?"

"Who knows?" said Nichole. "I just want to get out of here."

"Indeed," said Camille as she tried not to panic. Caroline was gone. She was gone. Camille gasped in horror as she realized that Caroline was gone. Something wasn't right there.

She thought back to that night over 300 years ago, when a young man she had loved was gone due to her stupidity. A young man who had hopes and dreams of wanting to help others no matter who they were was murdered at her own hands.

Carlisle Cullen.

_How could I have done this to him_, she thought to herself. _Why did I kill him? I should have gotten rid of the father when I had the chance, not the son_.

Camille wept for the first time in 300 years.

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	18. The Shape of Things That are to Come

In this chapter, Jacquelyn explains why she walked into the fire as the Volturi deal with several criminals.

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><p>Aro sighed as the room, which once had 50 children in it, was completely empty. The talk then turned to what was going to be done about the riot. Many people were killed in the riot and many more were missing. Plus, scores of buildings were either badly damaged or destroyed. Vampires who witnessed the riot had swarmed into the city, killing as many people as they could.<p>

"Such a sad day indeed," he said as the three vampires sat on their thrones.

"What a waste of time," Marcus muttered to himself.

"If you ask me, which I know you won't, I say let the punishment fit the crime," said Caius. The other vampires stared at him. "They should have known better than to have that riot. What were they thinking? That they wouldn't be eaten by vampires? I say that we let them eat the stupid ones! They will learn that we own them!"

"Surely you don't mean that, Caius," said Aro. "Not all humans are stupid. Where are you getting these ideas from?"

"It doesn't matter," Marcus muttered. "They deserve to die. It's no less than what we would have done to them."

"Indeed," said Aro as they saw Heidi, Felix, and Renata leading a group of 15 men into the throne room.

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><p>Jacquelyn was staring at herself in the mirror. Her hair had turned into a dark brown color and her skin was a light tan color. Her eyes were blue and gray. Minerva came to her and said, "Why did you walk into the fire?"<p>

"Because I knew my life was over," said Jacquelyn. "I was nothing more than a walking corpse by the time we met. You knew about the snake that killed our parents."

"So you sold your humanity just to set me free?" said Minerva. "Why?"

"I cannot be human anymore," said Jacquelyn. Minerva stared at her. "They mistreated me at the foster home. They did so much crap to try to force me to be happy, but I don't deserve to be happy at all, not since my mother's death and such. They even tried to imply that I was being possessed by an evil spirit that told me that I was better off dead. I was forced to see all sorts of quacks and whatnot; small wonder why I decided to go into the Goth culture when I was 10 years old."

Little did she know that Jasper was standing by the door, overhearing everything. He shook his head as he thought about the sad girl who didn't have a good life after a tragedy. He knew that Jacquelyn would have to explain everything and soon.

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><p>Jacob frowned as the doctor told him that his father was alive, but he was never going to walk again. The others nodded, knowing that Billy had been their chief since the death of his father, Gerald. What were they going to do until he woke up?<p>

Sam said, "Well, I say that I take over for a while."

"I don't think so," said Quil. "Jacob is supposed to be the chief."

"Really?" said Paul. "When last I checked, Jacob was so busy chasing after Bella and destroying her marriage that he can't even lead our tribe. Why do we need him, anyway?"

"Because Jacob is the descendant of Ephraim Black," Leah snapped at them. "Haven't you forgotten that? Jacob's family came from the chiefs of our tribe. Let him lead us."

"Not until he breaks up with Bella and she leaves the reservation," said Embry. "Yes, Bella's father may be friends with Billy, but she doesn't belong here. Send her back to the palefaces and let Jacob choose a bride from our people."

"Are you all insane?" Jacob snapped at them. "Bella Swan isn't going anywhere! In fact, I intend to marry her before she decides to give that foolish husband of hers another chance."

"That may not be the best idea," said Old Quil as he sat up in his seat. Everyone stared at him. "No good is going to come from this. Bella cannot just give up her life in the White man's world and become like us. It hasn't been done."

"You know as well as I do that Bella doesn't belong to the White man," said Jacob. "How could you suggest that she go back to the man who broke her heart? She doesn't need Mike Newton; she needs me. And I'm going to make sure that she stays here for good."

He stormed away as the others shook their heads. "This isn't going to end well," said Sam.

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	19. In Time

The Volturi deal with some cruel men as a revelation is revealed.

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><p>Aro frowned as he saw a huge group of men walking into the throne room. They were all shocked and some were angry after Alec, Renata, Felix, and Demetri had wrestled them to the ground and captured them. The fact that they had attacked Caroline Darkmoon angered him and he vowed to see that those men were punished for their crime.<p>

Within a few moments, where the questioning from Caius proved their guilt, the men were dragged to the back room and torn to pieces by several hungry vampires. Marcus stared at Aro, who said, "We had to do it. There's nothing for it. Those men knew that they were wrong to hurt that woman, so they're getting what they deserved."

He wasn't wrong there; the Volturi had spent many years weaving in and out of the lives of various humans, sometimes doling out punishments to those who had wronged a human who patronized the Volturi. Vladimir and Stephan were the true rulers, but their…methods were quite unorthodox, so to speak.

Aro stood up and said, "I'm going to check on our guest and inform her that her attackers are dead."

"What of the little one?" said Caius.

"Who?" Marcus snapped his head towards Caius.

"The other little girl who is here," said Caius. "She said that she was seeking us."

"More like seeking death," said Marcus. The other two vampires stared at him. "She came to me asking for me to end her life. But I refused. That was why she set herself on fire."

"Indeed," said Aro. "I do need to pay a visit to Miss Jacquelyn and see how she is doing. She could be still…alive for all we know."

He left the room as Caius turned to Marcus and said, "She sought her own death? You are telling a joke."

"I do not tell jokes, Caius," said Marcus.

"Then why did you claim that she wanted death?" said Caius. "You knew that Aro saw something in her, something that he needed. The girl is very knowledgeable about vampires."

"Indeed," said Marcus. "What is this knowledge that you speak of?"

"If she died, then we would never know the answer, or would we?" said Caius. "I suggest that we find out what knowledge that she possesses and then…"

Jasper cleared his throat as he walked into the room. Caius and Marcus stared at him. "You are here for your duties," said Marcus. Jasper nodded. "Very well. Now go do your duty."

Jasper went to his post as Marcus said, "If you ask me, which I know you never will, I say that Aro is going to take Jasper's little pet."

"Indeed," said Caius. But he knew that something was going to happen to Jacquelyn. He didn't know what, but whether or not Jacquelyn would be willing to save vampirekind was a different equation altogether.

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	20. Father Figure

Aro attempts to pursue Jacquelyn as a pet, and she doesn't take it too well.

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><p>Aro found Jacquelyn sitting outside in the gardens, mainly near the spot where she, Gus, and Minerva had done their spellcasting a few days earlier. The other two were resting in Jasper's room; the spellcasting had taken its toll on them and they needed to rest before they could plot their next move.<p>

Aro said, "I trust that you find everything in here to your liking?"

"Why do you care?" Jacquelyn snapped at him. "I know what you want, and you'll be getting it from my cold dead hands."

"Not exactly," Aro laughed as he went to sit next to a huge tree that was in the middle of the garden. "You have given up your humanity for your friends. That doesn't seem like a wise choice, now doesn't it?"

"What are you playing at?" Jacquelyn snapped again.

"I have come to admire you, a bit more than I should, Miss Jacquelyn-Claire Alexandra Ulrich," Aro said. "I do have a long history of pursuing young women such as yourself, mainly for indulging in the pleasures of the flesh." Jacquelyn glared at him. "It has been nearly two centuries since I last had a woman as a pet," he continued, "and I will admit that when I first saw you, I wanted you for myself. But unfortunately, Jasper had to claim you as his pet. Why did you become his pet?"

"Why indeed," Jacquelyn snapped.

"Surely you are to be more than his pet," said Aro as he motioned for the girl to sit next to him. "Why must all the pretty ones reject me?"

"You're crazy, that's why," Jacquelyn said.

"Crazy?" Aro laughed. "Is that what they're calling it now? That, I don't approve."

"But what if it's true?" Jacquelyn cried out.

"Indeed," said Aro. "They know nothing. As for you, you have nothing to worry about; I've already got a new pet for Jasper. This one isn't too broken for him. She'll do nicely, once I have Daniel remove her memories."

Jacquelyn shook her head; there was no way that she was going to be Aro's mistress, not since she had already handed herself over to Jasper. What was he going to say when he found out that Aro was trying to steal his pet?

* * *

><p>(I know you're all saying "<em>Hey, where's Leah and the wolves? What about the Nomads? We hardly saw much of Carlisle Cullen. What's going on here?<em>"

Not to worry, I have plans to incorporate them all into the story, seeing as Carlisle was the first member of his coven to be bitten and turned. Therefore, he shall return and seek the Volturi. But whether or not Aro will actually welcome him will be a different story.

As for Leah, she will find out that far from being normal Native Americans, the Quileute tribe are actually shapeshifters who have apparently forgotten the magical part of their past. After all, Billy and Emily weren't attacked for no reason.

Plus, the Annoying Nomads are just being their usual annoying selves, so nothing exciting for them yet.

And we really can't have Bella Swan be with Jacob Black, or can we? Not to worry, as Edward Cullen will show up and get her. The Twilight Saga can't happen without them!

In the next chapter, several people return from their graves and weak havoc on those who killed them and a long-dead mother seeks her missing daughter. Jacquelyn's biggest secret will be revealed and Jasper gets a new pet, one that he doesn't want.)

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	21. Back From the Dead

Where we last left off…

_"Indeed," said Aro. "They know nothing. As for you, you have nothing to worry about; I've already got a new pet for Jasper. This one isn't too broken for him. She'll do nicely, once I have Daniel remove her memories."_

_Jacquelyn shook her head; there was no way that she was going to be Aro's mistress, not since she had already handed herself over to Jasper. What was he going to say when he found out that Aro was trying to steal his pet?_

* * *

><p>Aro smiled as he stared at Jacquelyn. She glared with him, a glare that could turn any human who gazed at her into ashes. He said, "Do not be so angry with me, child, for I have a plan for you. How would you like to be a princess?"<p>

Jacquelyn glared at him and Aro stepped back in fear. "I don't want to be a princess," she snapped at him.

"Then what do you want to be?" the old vampire said to her.

"I want to be…a queen."

Aro smiled as he heard Jacquelyn's latest confession. the girl wanted to be queen? This certainly changed things, especially for him. He then said, "If you want to be a queen, then you'll have to get married."

"I do not," said Jacquelyn. "Elizabeth has ruled England as queen and she does not have a king."

"I'm surprised," said Aro. "I had no idea that she needed a king. But no matter. You will marry one of us and become our queen. It won't be so bad, now would it?"

* * *

><p>Leah was in the library in Seattle; she had another vision of the past. This vision included a young man with golden hair and golden eyes. He had come to La Push to help the Quileutes deal with a winter sickness. Leah shook her head; most of the Quileutes who had the winter sickness died because they failed to get treatment.<p>

Seth and Quil were with her; they both wondered if there was someting wrong with Leah. She seemed to be hiding her face in a book, doing hours of research about the Quileutes. She apparently seemed to forgo food and sleep.

"I really hope Leah gets over what happened to her a few weeks ago," said Quil.

"Not gonna happen," said Seth. "You should know that Leah never lets anything bad that happened to her go. I'm just shocked that she hasn't…you know…exploded yet."

"It's only a matter of time before it happens," Quil. "And in this case, it's not a matter of if it's going to happen, it's a matter of when it's going to happen."

Seth shook his head, knowing that Quil was right. Leah was known to have a breakdown if anything bad happened to her. Their father's death nearly sent Leah over one of the cliffs in La Push. She had barely survived that incident.

Now, it was the incident involving Emily Young and Billy Black that was on everyone's minds and combined with everyone dealing with Jacob Black, Seth was sure that Leah would have the ultimate breakdown. He had no idea how right he was…

* * *

><p>That night, at a cemetery, a groundskeeper gasped in horror as he watched a grave opened up and a woman stepped from her grave. Irina Ulrich was alive, and she was looking for Jacquelyn.<p>

Speaking of which, Jacquelyn sat with Gus and Minerva in the gardens; they had to prepare for the next part of their plan. Yet, Gus's vision of a young man being poisoned by a witch soon derailed those plans altogether.

"I can't believe that a witch would do something like this," Jacquelyn said in anger. "Just who does she think she is, anyway?"

"The witch must die," said Minerva. Jacquelyn stared at her. "Witches and Spellcasters have fought for control of the world since the Great Flood, when God granted a group of young people his powers when he sent the Angel Ardeth to assist them in their struggles against the Witches. This war has resulted in plagues, disasters, and even the downfall of the Roman Empire. Many great monarchies fell, no thanks to the kings and queens who gave their friendship to the Spellcasters and made Witches their enemies."

"But now, this war is starting up again," said Gus. "It began when the witch decided to set that snake on our parents and leave us unable to fend for ourselves. Minerva and I lived as snakes while you had to live with cruel people. This is why we must fight this witch and destroy her."

"Indeed," said Jacquelyn as she stared at another carving in her body. Though the other carvings went away upon her arrival to Volterra, these two carvings did not. She traced the carvings; the carvings read Hanny and Sasan. Jacquelyn remembered two small babies that were placed in her arms, two babies that she only held for a few hours before she gave them up for adoption. She carved their names into her body, knowing that she would not forget them as long as she lived.

She stood up and said, "I think that it's time for us to find this witch and end her before she strikes again." Gus and Minerva agreed and they walked back into the castle.

* * *

><p>Aro laughed as he recalled Jacquelyn's biggest wish—to be queen. Marcus said to him, "This is not right, what you are planning."<p>

"A marriage will be wonderful," said Caius. "Jacquelyn will remain here with us. She has no place out there, not with its cruelty and indifference."

"Now, Marcus," said Aro, "let us plan this wedding, for she must marry one of us, and soon."

Jasper was not happy with the Volturi's decision to marry Jacquelyn-Claire Ulrich. He was even angrier when he noticed Caroline Darkmoon in his room instead of Jacquelyn. He had since locked the door to his room and vowed to never return to it.

Caroline, once again, was the victim of bad luck.

Aro's smile disappeared when his private secretary came into the room carrying two very tiny children. She said, "I found them wandering around, crying for their mother."

"Those poor little babies," said Marcus. "Has no one claimed them?"

"I asked around, but no one could give me a straightforward answer," said the woman.

"Well take over from here, Suzette," said Caius. "You should get home to your husband."

As Suzette Williams left the castle, Marcus said, "Aro, this is a bad idea. Who knows whose children they are."

"That's what I'm going to find out," said Aro. "Let's go take them to the wives; they would love to have some little babies running around."

Jasper stared at the babies; he noticed several similar features, such as the blue and silver eyes, the pale skin, and the dark hair. He knew whose children they were.

They belonged to Jacquelyn-Claire Alexandra Ulrich.

* * *

><p>And now we have some more problems for Jacquelyn and Jasper. How will they deal with the babies?<p>

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